The use of unmanned aerial vehicles is becoming more prevalent as technology advances. These unmanned aerial vehicles can come in many different shapes, sizes and configurations. For example, the unmanned aerial vehicles can be drones, helicopters, airplanes, etc. The unmanned aerial vehicles in the vicinity of manned aircraft, especially during training exercises, can become hazardous to the manned aircraft. In fact, there have been many documented near collisions, e.g., close calls, between manned and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Current systems to avoid collisions between manned and unmanned aerial vehicles are either expensive or not adequate. For example, although video processing technology is advancing rapidly to give unmanned aerial vehicles obstacle avoidance technology, these systems are expensive and require extra processing (SWaP issues). Visual markings on unmanned aerial vehicles, e.g., paint schemes, and high intensity strobe lights, on the hand, can be inexpensive and helpful in certain situations. The use of the visual markings, though, may not be effective due to the speed and size of the unmanned aerial vehicles, e.g., as it makes it difficult to identify the unmanned aerial vehicles.